retargeting issue

[TechnicallyArtistic]

How are you transferring it? Using a character set?

The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is maybe on one rig it's parented to the whole chain of the skeleton and on the other the tail is attached by a constraint or something where it isn't directly attached to the rest of the rig?

Just a stab in the dark there.

[Me109]

Hi Mr Cat..

Yeah it kinda perplexes me why it won't work.. thx for the suggestions however none of them apply in this case..

basically i have two identical skeletons..

One has a controllers for animation purposes... which for example has a walk cycle..

This is then referenced into my target characters scene.. and then select source then target.. transfer..

Most of the animation makes it across.. except for the tail.. and also not all of the toes (this in particular makes no sense.. each one of the toes are labeled differently Big toe little toe.. etc...)

anyhow thx for the suggestions..

J

[TechnicallyArtistic]

The alternate way I might try it is reverse the transfer, if you can. If it's an identical skeleton, you could open the animation file, save a copy, import the new model, skin it to the rig, copy the skin weighting from the old model to the new one, then delete the old skin. Would that work for your needs, as a work around at least?

[Me109]

yeah that would work.. I should mention.. that 'identical' skeletons in my case, refers to the same number of joints / names.. however proportions of the Mesh are completely different.. and consequently positions of the bones are slightly different. hence why I want to use retarget..

thx for ur input..

J

[TechnicallyArtistic]

Here's my only other thought. I know you can transfer animation via the trax editor via character sets. Was the character animated with character sets? I haven't done this in a long time so it's a shot in the dark here, but here's the idea.

If there's no character set, take your original rig, save a copy, see if you can clear off the animation, and set up a character set to animate with. And then take your original rig again with animation and see if you can transfer the animation to the same rig with the character set on it now. If that works, you can export an animation clip out in the trax editor.

If that part works, then create the same character set on your new model/rig and then see if you can import that animation clip in the trax editor.

Could be the way you're already doing it and I'm probably missing something there, but just something a vaguely remember.

[Me109]

yeah i'm using character sets.. and ya.. that approach works.. but I'm trying to avoid having to build a complete rig.. just the skeleton.. and retarget..

its not that what i'm doing won't work.. its just not 100%.. like maybe a bug in maya itself.. anyhow.. will keep experimenting..

cheers mate..

J

[Me109]

Ok.. sortof figured out why its not working.. no bug as such..

I'm using Spline IK to control the tail and spine.. etc.. Spline IK controls the position of bones as you know.. and 'position' specfically Translation of the bones is the problem..

Retargeting picks up rotational information only and is not picking up any translations that have occured on the bone chain.. so that's why I'm having my problem..

There dosent seem to be any options in the retarget tool in regard to sampling translations on selected bones.. sure it will pick up upper and lower body translations.. but not specific bones.. hmm bummer

thx!

J

[TechnicallyArtistic]

Are any of these helpful in that case?

http://highend3d.com/maya/downloads/mel_scripts/animation/Animation-and-Pose-Copy--Batch-Transfer-5096.html

http://highend3d.com/maya/downloads/mel_scripts/animation/zooXferAnim---animation-transfer-utility-2527.html

http://highend3d.com/maya/downloads/mel_scripts/animation/Animation-Writer-3019.html

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.